


Grief and A Fairy Hunt

by skyoung200



Series: Fairy Tale Loving Smaurent Grown Up [1]
Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Auguste being a good brother, Cute, Grief/Mourning, Light Angst, M/M, Nicaise (Captive Prince) Lives, One Shot, Short One Shot, interesting coping, kinda heartwarming, mentions of young Laurent, or well mostly angst with a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 09:55:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19391704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyoung200/pseuds/skyoung200
Summary: Laurent finds an old book and struggles with old memories of his brother.





	Grief and A Fairy Hunt

It had been over ten years. Happily ruling with his husband at his side he forget the pain of grief. Then he was reminded that it really never completely leaves. 

It was just an old book. An old nearly falling apart copy of fairytales. Tucked far back in the recesses of the library. Only found by Nicaise who had been trying to hide away from the court. 

Nicaise had pulled it from the shelve wondering how the Prince, well King (he never got used to that), who loved books so dearly let one go in such a state of disrepair. The binding was cracked like it had been opened to every page a million times, it was nearly falling off. The pages were worn at the edges, smudged with various stains from tea and ink. Some pages seemed to be near falling out. Nicaise held it gently not wanting to worsen its state. 

He brought it to a table and set it down to inspect it more closely. When he cracked open the cover, he saw the inside of the hardback cover had been written on. In neat handwriting near the top it read "For my curious and wonderous baby brother, love, Auguste". Then below in handwriting almost unreadable, "Laurent's Book", clearly a young child claiming the book as his own. 

Nicaise wondered how old Laurent was when he received it and just how much he must have read it. 

That's when Damen stepped into the library, arms full of maps and trade contracts, with his husband following right behind.

Nicaise startled slightly and drew back from the book after slamming the cover closed. But that only drew the husbands attention. 

Laurent walked over with his husband now the one trailing behind. He sat down across from Nicaise and looked at the book, seeming almost reluctant to look at it directly. "Where did you find this?" He asked in a smooth voice as he pulled the book across the table. 

Nicaise coughed slightly and shifted in his seat. "One of the back corners. I pulled it from the shelf wondering how you let a book go in such a state. I didn't realize what it was." He looked away, slightly in shame. Though Nicaise still didn't apologize often, he had tells which Laurent knew meant he was telling the truth and genuinely sorry if he did wrong. 

Laurent shook his head and picked up the book, turning it over in his hands, his face seemed to turn to stone. But his eyes. Such a beautiful blue, that with every passing day in his passionate husband’s company began to show more emotion. And oh, what Nicaise and Damen saw. 

Grief seemed to be bubbling up. And when it overcame Laurent as he opened the book up it spilled out in hot trails down his cheeks. Nicaise didn't move but he kept his eyes on the table as Damen carefully wrapped his arms around his grieving husband. It didn't go well. 

In short time, Laurent had stood up and pushed himself free of Damen's arms. He stepped away and with a curt, "Give me space." He was gone from the library. 

Damen and Nicaise were left in the library both wanting to give chase. Both knowing they shouldn't and that waiting in the library would be best. 

In Auguste's old room, Laurent sat on the floor in front of the fire place. He had lit it himself; the way Auguste had taught him. He had his brother's favorite blanket around his shoulders keeping out the cold because he had stripped his tightly laced outer most layer off. 

He sat flipping through the book. His tears seemed endless and the sobs sometimes overtook him, so much so that he had to stop reading and lean away from the books so his tears didn't further damage the pages. 

Laurent had so many memories of his brother and this book. Them reading where he sat now on cold winter nights. Then in the spring taking the book outside to read in the gardens, typically interrupted by Laurent feeling convinced he had seen a fairy and running off. Reading the book when Auguste was gone for training or other royal duties and then when he returned Laurent would recap the stories like the two hadn't already read them all hundreds of times. 

Laurent thought his Uncle had destroyed the book. Apparently, it had been hidden away in the library just waiting for him to find. He gently ran his fingers over Auguste's handwriting in the front of the book and heaved a deep sigh. His tears had dried up. He stood up slowly, his knees creaking from sitting on the floor so long. He wasn't as young as he used to be and it was beginning to show. 

He set the book down on Auguste's desk and raised his chin. He grabbed a few things from Auguste's room. His brother’s cloak, an old old beautiful telescope, a butterfly net, and an old notebook full of fanatical notes written by the brothers, a companion to the fairytale book never lost just left to collect dust on a shelf. 

After quickly retrieving a cloak for Damen and Nicaise, he returned to the library. The two were playing cards, Damen had lost nearly every round to Nicaise's cheating but he didn't mind, still smiling and being a good sport.

They both looked up when he walked in, both clearly confused with Laurent's clothes and supplies. Damen opened his mouth to pose a question but couldn't even begin before his cloak had been thrown at his face. Nicaise giggled until his own was thrown at him. 

Then Laurent, with a dead serious expression he typically only used with the council, said "We are going fairy hunting in the gardens." Then promptly turned in his place and began walking towards the nearest exit to the gardens. 

Damen laughed and shot up to follow his husband. He may not quite ever understand what his husband was like as a child or how he was with his brother but he was willing to go along with something that was clearly important to him. Nicaise followed after. He didn't see any harm in it, and besides he never had a chance to do childish things like this before and he wanted to feel free. 

Hours later, nearly frozen, boots coated in mud, the trio returned inside smiling wildly with empty nets but full hearts. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this even though it is angsty. I love the idea of whimsical baby Laurent and good brother Auguste. I love the idea of Laurent never truly losing that whimsy and refinding it and himself after years of hiding it. Comments and kudos give me life so please let me know what you think!


End file.
